Gay Men To That!!

Wow!  NARTH, the organization that supposedly claims to be able to "cure" gay people from being gay, has now "lowered the expectations" of what they are able to do.  Check out the semantics of this statement. Via ThinkProgress: The National Association for the Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) issued a statement last week on “ Sexual Orientation Change ” that attempts to downplay the poor success rates and negative PR surrounding ex-gay therapy — not to mention the  harmful impact  it has on clients. Without any empirical research to support its conclusions, NARTH advocates redefining the very standard of “change” from an absolute category to a client-defined goalpost on a supposed continuum of change: NARTH affirms that some individuals who seek care for unwanted same-sex attractions do report categorical change of sexual orientation. Moreover, NARTH acknowledges that others have reported no change. However, the experience of NARTH clinici...

Kinsey Scale, via Exceptional Primate There has been a huge outcry regarding Cynthia Nixon's recent statements about her sexuality and the "choices" she has made.  She said being gay, at this point in her life, was a choice that she made. Many people have condemned her for giving "ammunition" to the enemies of gay rights. In the famous words of taxidermist Chuck Testa.... "NOPE". Regardless of what we do or say, the people who hate us and work to deny us our basic rights will always find "ammunition" to use against us, whether it exists or not.  They don't care about facts and, in this case, Cynthia is correct with her facts...which only apply to her experience.  We are not all born either exclusively gay or exclusively straight...remember the Kinsey scale?  Yes, some of us are 1's or 6's during most of our lives, but the vast majority of humans lie somewhere in the area we are afraid to acknowledge.  It's called bise...

I find this study so encouraging!  Slowly but surely, homophobia is dying off.  Even young, evangelical christians understand that it is both morally and legally right to grant marriage rights to same sex couples.   Via ProudParenting.com: First-year college students' political and social views continue to shift in a progressive direction. An unprecedented 71.3 percent of incoming college students indicated that same-sex couples should have the right to legal marital status, compared with 64.9 percent in 2009, according to the   2011 CIRP Freshman Survey , which is based on the responses of more than 200,000 first-time full-time students entering four-year colleges across the country. "Among students entering college, we're seeing a more unified support for same-sex marriage that reaches across political party lines," said John H. Pryor, lead author of the report and director of CIRP. "Given the influence of young voters in the last presidential election, c...

From the "Purity Bear" video At least Pedobear is a joke  created to mock child predators.  Purity Bear is serious. So, the "Purity Bear" video is getting some attention after being featured on Tosh.0 . A "pure" girl invites a young boy in to her house after a date while her parents aren't home.  Suddenly, a creepy stuffed bear (that only the guy can see or hear) shows up over his shoulder and convinces him not to go in (if you get my meaning) to maintain his "purity". Pedobear I am really tired of this concept that pre-marital sex is "impure".  For most gay men and lesbians, all sex is pre-marital.  Once again, the puritanical ideas that make any form of pleasure seem bad have corrupted what could be a healthy and fulfilling experience, whether or not there is a ring on your finger. Proponents of abstinence only education like to site the "fact" that girls who don't wait for marriage to have sex often sa...

NOT SAFE FOR WORK LANGUAGE! ...And very funny!! Found at  JoeMyGod:

Rachel Maddow is reporting that The Massachusetts Family Institute has received donations from Mitt Romney's charitable donations revealed by the now infamous disclosure of his tax records.  The MFI promotes fringe reparative therapy.  The only people that believe this extremely harmful therapy to be effective are right wing freaks.  Maddow wants the mainstream media to do their job and ask Romney if he believes that gays can be "cured".   Via The Advocate: Disclosure of tax filings this week for the Tyler Charitable Foundation found that it had donated $10,000 in 2010 to the MFI, which   The Advocate   previously reported   paid for a public awareness campaign that paints trans people as sexual predators.   MFI also backs "ex-gay" organizations such as Exodus International and promotes the use of therapy as a supposed cure for homosexuality.   Maddow spoke to Wayne Besen, executive director of Truth Wins Out, about the donations during...

Seriously, Tony? Don't you have real people to hate? Via TowleRoad: In a radio bulletin called 'Rebel Fleet Surrenders to Gay Empire' the Family Research Council's Tony Perkins urged his listeners to bombard video game maker Bioware with comments over its decision  to include gay relationships  in its Star Wars: The Old Republic video game,  Right Wing Watch reports : Said Perkins: "In a new Star Wars game, the biggest threat to the empire may be homosexual activists! Hello, I'm Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C. In a galaxy not so far far away, Star Wars gamers have already gone to the dark side. The new video game, Star Wars: The Old Republic, has added a special feature: gay relationships. Bioware, the company that developed the game, said it's launching a same-sex romance component to satisfy some complaints. That surprised a lot of gamers, since Bioware had made it clear in 2009 that "gay" and "lesbia...

The man who hates marriage is at it again.  Everything he's ever done with regard to marriage has damaged the institution.   Via Joe My God: "It's pretty simple: marriage is between a man and a woman. This is a historic doctrine driven deep into the Bible, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, and it's a perfect example of what I mean by the rise of paganism. The effort to create alternatives to marriage between a man and a woman are perfectly natural pagan behaviors, but they are a fundamental violation of our civilization." -   Newt Gingrich , speaking on a conference call to the anti-gay Faith Coalition. RELATED:   Newt Gingrich would like to remind everybody that that marriage is between one man and one woman whom you abandon riddled with cancer on her hospital bed while you fuck the shit out of your mistress whom you later marry and cheat on with a third woman while screaming with Godly moral outrage about the infidelities of the president...

Clockwise from top left: Gov. Christine Gregoire, Mary Margaret Haugan, Steve Litzow, Cheryl Pflug Looks like another state is poised to pass Gay Marriage.  The Washington house already has enough votes to pass the bill... Fingers crossed!    Via The Advocate: Washington now has enough votes to pass a marriage equality bill in the state Senate, following a state senator’s announcement of her support today after hours of public hearings regarding the measure. Mary Margaret Haugen became the 25th member of the state senate, and the last vote needed to pass the bill, after scores of same-sex marriage supporters told their stories in the state capital for more than two hours. The bill, first brought up by Washington governor Christine Gregoire, is expected to easily pass in the House but was one vote short of passage in the Senate until Haugen announced her support this afternoon. Haugen, a Democrat, cited her "very strong Christian beliefs" as part of the reason...

Kabir Ahmed, left to right, Razwan Javed and Ihjaz Ali   There is no such thing as 100% free speech, not here in the U.S. and not in the U.K.  Inciting violence is illegal. Yelling "fire" in a crowded movie house is not protected free speech;  Neither is calling for the death penalty just for being gay in the U.K.  These men claim they were only practicing their right to free speech by simply quoting The Koran.  Uh, bullshit.  They knew exactly what they were doing and, guess what? Gays have a right not to be terrorized! Via TowleRoad: The Guardian  reports : In a landmark case, a jury at Derby crown court ruled that Ihjaz Ali, Kabir Ahmed and Razwan Javed had breached hate crime legislation by handing out the leaflets outside the Jama mosque, in Rosehill Street, Derby, in July 2010, as well as putting them through nearby letterboxes. Sentencing was adjourned until 10 February. Two other men, Mehboob Hussain and Umar Javed, were found not gu...

America's cities are, once again, leading the way towards a more progressive country. Via The Advocate: More than 80 mayors from across the country announced their support for  marriage equality today, predicting that it would one day come to all of their cities. They  pledged  their support as part of the launch of a new effort called Mayors for the Freedom to Marry. Included are mayors of the five largest U.S. cities:  Michael Bloomberg of New York, Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles,  Rahm Emanuel of Chicago (who was not at the news conference but signed the pledge), Annise Parker of Houston, and Michael Nutter of Philadelphia. All of the mayors have signed a pledge to fight for marriage equality and encourage other lawmakers to take up the cause. After New York enacted marriage equality last year, Bloomberg said the freedom to marry in the state has “only made New York stronger,” and extending that right to all American citizens is only a matt...

But, aren't gays the ultimate threat to families?!  What is this world coming to when research and data show that gays and lesbians are just as good as straight couples at raising children...maybe even better in some circumstances.  Damn those facts!! Via Huffington Post: Gay marriage, and especially gay parenting, has been in the cross hairs in recent days. On Jan. 6, Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum told a New Hampshire audience that children are better off with a father in prison than being raised in a home with lesbian parents and no father at all. And last Monday (Jan. 9), Pope Benedict called gay marriage a threat "to the future of humanity itself," citing the need for children to have heterosexual homes. But research on families headed by gays and lesbians doesn't back up these dire assertions. In fact, in some ways,  gay parents  may bring talents to the table that straight parents don't. Gay parents "tend to be more motivated...

Todd has been one of my favorites, listening to Pandora "Today's Comedy Radio".  Good for him for coming out!   Via The Advocate.com: Comedian Todd Glass, who appeared on the second and third seasons of NBC's Last Comic Standing  and has appeared regularly on Louie, Tosh.0, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn , and  Politically Incorrect , came out as a gay man today on an episode of  WTF with Marc Maron.   After a bit of banter, Maron told viewers the 47-year-old comic was on his podcast to say something important. Glass joked that he's there simply for self-promotion, then Maron responded, “I thought you were gay." He suggested Glass say it himself. “I have a very hard time saying that,” Glass said. “And don’t get this wrong. I don’t want anyone to be ashamed of who they are—especially younger people. I always hated using that term and that’s partly why I’ve always been sympathetic to people who do...

Don't fuck with her, fellas!!  You homophobic bitches better watch what you say!  If you spout some anti gay evil stupidity, Queen bitch Joan Crawford will rise from the dead and bitch slap you!!  I don't usually advocate violence but since it is only Hollywood magic, I say slap away!! Via Queerty.com: To quote Vera Donovan in Steven King’s  Dolores Clairborne,  “sometimes being a bitch is all a woman has to hold onto.” Golden Age screen legend Joan Crawford was definitely a rhymes-with-witch in her lifetime, but we’re happy to see she’s using her nastiness for good in the afterlife. Here she materializes into a Fox News clip to give Rick Santorum a good thrashing for defending Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and saying gays can go straight if they really want to. The clip comes courtesy of  Gay Carrington , which sounds like the name of Blake’s otherillegitimate sister on Dynasty. Enjoy!

This is probably the only time that "family values" folks won't be screaming "what about the children?" I'm sure that there will be, as usual, the cries of "religious discrimination" because the soon to be (hopefully) former teacher can't spew her anti gay hatred without any retaliation.  She is currently in a position to have an influence over many young students, some of whom are gay.  Those students deserve the freedom from her bigotry while they develop a sense of self worth.  I don't like to wish unemployment on anyone in this economy.  I guess the lesson here is there are consequences to your actions and your words. Via The Advocate: A New Jersey high school teacher who ranted on Facebook about the supposed evils of gay people may be removed from her position, as her school board files tenure charges against her. Viki Knox is currently on administrative leave after unleashing a torrent of antigay postings  in October. Resp...

Another hypocritical statement from the Pope, who has been accused of covering up for pedophile  priests.  Benedict's hyperbole regarding the "danger" of gay marriage is almost laughable compared to the damage that the Catholic church has had on so many families for promoting homophobia and for protecting pedophilia.  Therein lies the real danger to humanity! Via LGBTQ Nation: Pope Benedict XVI used his Monday “State of the World” address to condemn efforts around the world to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples, calling same-sex marriage a threat to “human dignity and the future of humanity itself.” Pope Benedict thinks gay marriage is SCARY!! Initially speaking about economic issues, the “Arab Spring,” and of the importance of education, the pontiff switched gears and took aim at the LGBT community. “Pride of place goes to the family, based on the marriage of a man and woman,” the leader of the 1.3-billion member Roman Catholic Church said. “This ...

Dan Savage Dan Savage rightly makes the point that Rick Santorum is not just anti-gay, he is anti-straight as well.  He wants to impose his extremist Christian beliefs on the entire nation.  Now, the fundies are begging Savage to take down the now infamous website which, inconveniently for Santorum, is the number 1 result when you search "Santorum" on google. So, the rabidly anti-gay religious right, AKA the Christian Taliban, is now speaking out against hate directed at one of their own.  Once again, they are such poor, poor "victims"! Via Edge Chicago: Anyone who has Googled "Santorum" recently is well aware of the "frothy"  website  that pops up as the number one search result. The conservative and anti-gay group Americans For Truth About Homosexuality has become aware of the hilarious page, and its president, Peter LaBarbera, is asking the site’s creator, gay activist Dan Savage, to take it down. Peter LaBarbera "Today,...

Do Ask Do Tell What is hotter than a buff, gay U.S. Soldier showing us his buff torso?  Not much!! Via Huffington Post : Randy Phillips, the gay U.S. soldier who became an Internet sensation after  filming himself coming out to his father  just hours after the repeal of the military's controversial "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in September, is finding new ways to utilize his newfound fame. Now, the 21-year-old Phillips hopes to help his viewers kick off their post-holiday workouts with a video of himself demonstrating "Oblique Side Crunches." Though he insists on his YouTube page that he was "nowhere near [his] best physical shape" at the time the clip was shot, the toned, shirtless Phillips -- who  reportedly would like to open his own gym  one day -- certainly gets our stamp of approval. View Phillips' original coming out clip, along with HuffPost Gay Voices' picks for the best LGBT-related viral videos of 2011

This is a very good thing that Nancy Pelosi did!  There are certain benefits that can only come with federally recognized gay marriage.  You can't create a contract that guarantees social security survival benefits.  You can't guarantee that your partner is protected from deportation without federal marriage recognition.  Via ThinkProgress.org: As ThinkProgress has  often   reported , many binational gay couples live in constant fear of being separated by deportation because the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) prevents the federal government from recognizing their relationships. But for one San Francisco couple at least, the story has a happy ending, thanks to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). Pelosi  personally intervened  on behalf of two of her constituents, Bradford Wells and Anthony John Makk, a couple who have lived in San Francisco’s Castro District for the better part of 19 years and were married in Massachusetts in 2004:...